Toyota Mirai launches November 18th

Toyota Motor Corporation has just announced 18 November as the date when it will reveal the production version of its fuel cell car.

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The FCV has been displayed at various global motor shows

Some history

Toyota first announced this project back in June 2009, stating that it would begin production of a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle by 2015. In May 2010, TMS (USA) said it would aim to sell this future model for a price of $50,000 in 2015. It followed this up with a statement in November 2010 that plans for a launch 'around' 2015 in Japan, the US and Europe were still on track and that such a 'sedan' would likely cost under Yen10m in Japan.

In January 2013, Toyota and BMW agreed to share their technologies and to jointly develop a fundamental fuel cell vehicle system. This, the companies stated, would include not only a fuel cell stack and system, but also a hydrogen tank, motor and battery, aiming for completion in 2020.

An update of the FCV-R concept from the 2011 Tokyo show was revealed at the Frankfurt motor show in September 2013. A further derivative followed two months later at the 2013 Tokyo motor show.

Toyota's chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada told the media in September 2013 that the fuel cell car programme was on track for a 2015 launch in California, at least. As at then, there were just 10 public refuelling stations in the state. Lawmakers passed a bill during the same month that would use vehicle registration fees to fund the construction of at least 100 public hydrogen fuel stations in the state by 2024. Governor Jerry Brown has since signed the bill.

In June 2014, TMC issued images of the production model to the media, stating that the still unnamed car would be on sale in Japan "before April 2015" and then "summer" for North America and Europe. The home market guide price would be around JPY 7m with distribution via both Toyota and Toyopet sales outlets. The model name is said to be Mirai, which translates as 'the future'. Production will be at the Motamachi plant.

The Mirai is now expected to be on sale in Japan in December, with annual production said to be limited to 700 vehicles, though depending on demand, this might rise. In Japan, the vehicle will be sold mainly in four metropolitan areas: Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Fukuoka. These are the regions where hydrogen filling stations exist and where others are being added. While just 30 such stations currently exist nationwide (as at Q4, 2014), the national government is aiming to lift this total to 100 by the end of fiscal 2015.

P.S.If you want to watch the unveiling of the Mirai, here's the link on the presentation that will be unveiled on November 18.